Railroad-gate



(No Modem. 2 sheetssheet 1.

G. A. HALL.

RAILROAD GATE. No. 304,642. Patented Sept. 2, 188.4.

63:0. im Y 7 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)A

G. A. HALL.

RAILROAD GATE.

Patented Sep-t. 2, 1884.-

Intentar N. PETUls. mio-Llhugnptwr. wamingwn. D. C.

Unirse Sterns @PATENT trice.,

GEORGE A. HALL, OF PORTLAND, MAINE.

RAI LROAD-GATE.

PBPECEEICATION forming part of Letters Patent. No. 304,642, dated September 2, 1884.

' v Applicants filed Api-nee; 1884. (No mout-1.) A

.To all whom, it may concern.:

Be it known that I, GEORGE A. HALL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Portland, in the county of Cumberland and State Y filed February 26, 1884.

The object of the invention is to simplify the construction and combination andincrease the eiiiciency of the mechanism for automatically operating railroad-gates.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is aview showing one side of the casing removed and the mechanism in elevation. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the gate mechanism. Fig. 3 is a detail view of a crank, a cross-head, a pulley, and

v a gong-ringer. Fig. 4 is an end view of same.

Fig. 5 is a perspective of the shifting-guide. Fig. 6 is a view representing means for automatically operating the gate through the moving train. Fig. 7 is view of a roller'attachment to be applied to some part of a moving train to operate in conjunction with the mechanism shown in Fig. 6.

A is the casing, wit-hin which the principal part of the operating mechanism is mounted, and A is the lid or cover for the same. The gate T is of essentially the same construction, and is mounted in the same manner'as that described in my aforesaid application.

a is amain shaft mounted upon anti-friction rollers supported on suitable boxes and brackets within the casing. This shaft a is provided with a U-shaped bend or crank c', and is held firmly in its socket or bearings by a projection carrying anti-friction rollers 02. Fixed into the side or' this U is a piu or roller, 7a2, which plays in a slot, r, of the arm or shifting-guide B.

Above the main shaft a, and' extending across the casing, is a counter-shaft, at, upon which are loosely hung latches or stops E E',

and an arm or shifting-guide, B,having ayoke orbend therein, as shown. The latches E E are held at an angle, as shown, by chains u a', and are provided at their lower ends with a bend, for the purpose hereinafter described. The latches and the lever B are held in their proper planes by means of collars and setserews on the shaft a2. The swinging arm or shifting-guide B is provided at its lower end with guide-eyes or pulleys l, and with a notch or slot, c. rj his guide operates to lead the main cable or wire first to one side of the center or axis of the gate and then the other.

Mounted on the shafta are the arm and counter-weight C D. lThe counter-weight is adapted to receive additional or auxiliary weights, as may be required for different weights and lengths of gate. A disk, H, provided with teeth g, a pulley, 7i, an ali-1n or cross-head, b b, and a crank, i, are bolted .or otherwise secured together, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, and are all of them mounted loosely on a bolt or mandrel, 1', which secures the1n`` axially with the shaft a, as shown in Fig. 2.

Coupled with the crankz is a connectingrod, j,which isvalso connected with the vibrating leverj, which operated in one direction by a strong spring, G, which is connected at one end with any suitable part ofthe casing, and at the other with the lever. The fulcrum of the vibratin g lever maybe moved relatively farther from the spring, according to the power required.

Extending from the main-line pipe or conduit for the operati 11g-chain up into the casing is a section or continuation of the conduit d, as shown in Fig. 1. At the top of this pipe are suitably mounted guide-pulleys Z Z.

' Extending through the conduit d over the guide-pulleys Z/ Z and ZZ to the pulley His the main cable or wire c.

Mounted upon a bracket, o, is a bellcrank, m', at the inner extremity ot` which is pivoted, at n, another forked bell-crank, m, as shown in Fig. 1. A gong or bell, I, is connected with the casing A, as shown. A spring, G', operates to cause the bell-crank on to strike the bell or gong as it is vibrated by the notches g ofggong-ringer H. Vhen the gate is in its horizontal position, its weight is partlybalanced by toe D of the counter-weight resting ICU against the under side of the bracket D, thus relieving the strain on the latch E.

The operation of my invention is as follows: The gate being in a vertical position and the parts in position, as shown in Fig. l, an approaching train operates upon the main cable or Wire c, and therethrough operates pulley 7i and turns it with its attachments, the gongringer H, the cross-head b b, and crank I, so that the end b of the cross-head first lifts the stop or latch E by impinging against its end, Which is bent so as to come Within its plane, and then comes in contact with the U or bend in the shaft a. At this time the crank 1) has passed up'and beyond its center, when the spring G, acting through lever j and connecting-rod j, serves to continue the movement of the cross-head b b, and thereby carry, by means of the bend, the shaft a around onequarter turn, when the U-ben'd is caught by latch E', and the gate has arrived at a horizontal position. Vhen the gate is in its horizontal position, and there locked by the latch E, the arm or shifting-guide B has been carried across and beyond the center of the shaft by means of the stud or roller k2, connected to the bend in the shaft through the medium of slot or notch o. Vhen in this position, and a train is departing from the crossing, it operates in a well-known way upon the cable or Wire c, and the pulley 7i, having the Wire or cable Wound thereon, ,Will be operated in a direction opposite to its first movement, and will carry the end b of the cross-head around so as to lift the latch E, when the crank t will have arrived at such position that the spring G, through its connections, Will continue the movement of the cross-head, and carry the shaft and gate back to their first position, as shown in Fig. l.

Previous to and during the dropping of the gate from its vertical to horizont-al position the gong-ringer II Will cause a continuous alarm or ringing of the bell through its hammer or bell' crank m and the loose arm m. During the backward movement of the gongringer the bell-hammer is unaffected, because the arm m may be lifted Without interfering With it.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new7 and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The combination, with the gatelsupporting shaft a, provided With a bend or crank, of a shifting-guide, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with the operating-pulley, of a shifting-guide for changing the direction of the draft on the pulley through the main cable, substantially as specied. 3. The combination of a bent or crank shaft,

a, provided With a projecting stud, 7a2, and a shifting guide or arm, B, provided with slot o, as described, y

4. The combination, with the crank-shaft a, of the loosely-hanging latches E E.

5. rIhe combination of the crank-shaft, the latches, and the cross-head.

G. The combination ofthe pulley 7L, the crossliead, the crank t', and the main cable or Wire, and the spring-operating connections, as described.

7. The combination, with a gate-supporting shaft, of a pulley and gong-ringer secured together and mounted loosely upon the shaft, and means for first operating the pulley and gong-ringer alone and then with them the shaft and gate, whereby an alarm is given before and during the fall of the gate.

S. In an automatic gate, the combination of a bent or crank shaft, a pulley, a crank, and cross-head connected axially with the shaft, and means for vibrating the crank from side to side of the. axis of the shaft through the main wire or cable, as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE A. HALL.

Witnesses:

VILLIAM C. NnLsoN, Fnnonr M. PALMER. 

